Antibiogram Pattern of Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli in Baghdad Province, Iraq

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is considered one of the main causes of urinary tract infections. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant global health care issue, particularly with regard to urinary tract infections. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of antibiotic resistance among Escherichia coli isolated from patients with urinary tract infection. Two-hundred and sixty-four mid-stream urine samples were collected from patients with symptoms of urinary tract infection who visited Baghdad teaching Hospital. These samples were routinely cultured on different media and E. coli was identified using conventional methods and confirmed by VITEK-2 system. Following diagnosis, 10 different types of antibiotics were tested for their sensitivity on E. coli strains using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Results: Out of 264 urine samples, 175 (66%) contained Gram-negative bacteria, E. coli was the most common uropathogenic isolate (38%), followed by K. pneumoniae (16%) and Streptococcus epidermidis (12%). The majority of uropathogenic E. coli showed the most rate of resistance to Amoxicillin, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, Nalidixic acid, Trimethoprim/Slfamethoxazole & tetracycline (88%, 80%,75%, 67%, 65.0% and 57% respectively).  Ninty-three percentage were sensitive to Meropenem, followed by Nitrufurnantion and Chloramphenicole  (75.0% and 68.0%) respectively. Conclusions: It was concluded from this study that E. coli is the main pathogen inflicting UTIs on patients. Amoxicillin, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, Nalidixic acid, Trimethoprim/Slfamethoxazole & tetracycline were among the antibiotics with the highest rates of resistance. In light of this study, local sensitivity patterns rather than international guidelines should be the basis for empirical antibiotic therapy.